I won't let you
by RonaldAndMione
Summary: What happened when Ron and Hermione went down to the chamber in Deathly Hallows? My take on it. Contains minor Deathly Hallows spoilers.


**'I wont let you' - RonaldAndMione**

**Rated - K+**

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**Well, I wrote this story awhile ago, I think around September last year. Hope you enjoy it. :)**

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Harry and Luna raced off to find the statue of the diadem. Ron turned away from the door and looked at the friends he hadn't seen in almost a year. He saw Neville stand up from the hammock he had been sitting in. Ginny walked over and stood next to him.

"Alright," Neville called out. Everyone fell silent as they watched Neville, waiting for his instructions. Ron was amazed. Neville had always been a follower, never a leader. He remembered with a little guilt that he had wondered in first year why Neville had been put in Gryffindor. But it seemed that the Sorting Hat had seen what others couldn't.

_Just like Hermione_, Ron thought to himself, and immediately looked over to his left at Hermione. She was smiling as she watched Neville deliver a speech on what to do. Ron took the moment to admire her yet again; this was becoming an addictive habit of his. Whenever he thought she wasn't looking, he'd watch her, and study her every movement - the way her fingers gently drifted across the edge of a page in a book, the way her bushy brown hair would catch the sunlight so that a bit of it appeared gold, the way her cheeks would turn a faint shade of pink when she was flustered or confused, the way the corner of her lips would twitch as she tried to hide back a smile... oh, Merlin, those lips... Ron spent a lot of his time watching her lips, wondering if they were as soft as he imagined, if she tasted as sweet as he thought. He spent a lot of his time wondering if he'd ever get to find out.

Neville was now finishing up his speech. "So, we'll practise the defensive spells now. We need to be prepared to defend ourselves tonight. It all comes down to tonight." Suddenly, a few models of Death Eaters appeared. Ron saw Ginny beam, the Room had conjured them up for her. Ron wished he could walk over and talk to her, he hadn't seen her in over a year and had been so worried for her. Before he could walk over to her, Hermione spoke.

"Ron!" she exclaimed. "Even if we do find the diadem, how are we going to destroy it? We don't have the sword anymore, remember? We still haven't even gotten rid of the cup!"

_Why does she have to be a genius?_ Ron thought to himself. He hadn't thought of that. How _were_ they going to destroy the diadem, and the cup for that matter? "I don't know."

"We need something else to destroy the Horcruxes with." Hermione said, frowning as she tried to think of something. Her fingers were on her chin and her eyes were on the floor, deep in thought. She looked around the room, as if expecting the room to provide them with Horcrux fighting weapons... but nothing appeared.

Ron fought back to the conversation he and Hermione had had with Harry before they left. Hermione had told them what to use to destroy Horcruxes... what did Harry use to destroy the diary? Did he use the sword... no... he used the fangs... "The _basilisk fangs in the Chamber of Secrets_!" Ron finished his thought out loud excitedly.

Hermione looked up. "What?"

Ron's mind was racing, he was thinking way too much at the moment. All the thoughts in his head were zooming around and Ron had trouble separating one from another in time to explain everything to Hermione. _So this is what it's like being Hermione_, Ron thought. "The Basilisk... Chamber... Fangs..." Hermione's eyes widened in realisation.

"Ron!" she gasped, and flung her arms around his neck. "That's brilliant! You're brilliant!" Ron beamed as he felt her breath tickle his ear. He could smell some perfume that she was wearing._ Hey... isn't that what I got her in fifth year? _Ron's smile grew bigger knowing she used his gift.

Hermione finally let go, her smile still wide. Ron impulsively, without thinking, grabbed her hand and began leading her to the door.

"Where are you going?" Ginny called out

Ron turned to look at her, _really_ look at her, for the first time in almost a year. She seemed taller, and more mature. She appeared braver and stronger. Her jaw was set, and she had a determined look on her face.

"Bathroom," he muttered, "We'll be back, dont worry."

Ginny swallowed, nodding her head. "Okay," she managed to say, and Ron could tell she was about to cry. Despite her strong expression, she too had missed her sibling and wanted to catch up with him.

Ron looked right at her, directly into her eyes. He mouthed "I love you, little sis," and walked out of the room, holding Hermione's hand. _I wish I could say those first three words to Hermione though_.

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They walked down the long corridors, memories filling their minds, making their trip go by quicker. They turned a corner on the third floor, upon which they saw Peeves.

"Oi!" Peeves called out, "Look who it is! It's-"

"For once in your life, Peeves-" Ron began

"Existence," Hermione corrected him. "Poltergeists never lived."

Ron couldn't help but smirk at Hermione's tone. It reminded him of a simpler time, when all they worried about was school and Quidditch. Could it really only have been 4 years ago? To Ron it felt like a lifetime.

"Whatever," Ron continued. "For once in your existence just shut up!"

Peeves was usually only controlled by the Bloody Baron and Dumbledore, but Ron's serious tone stopped him from yelling out their names. He knew Hogwarts was about to be attacked. He knew the school was in danger. And if there was no Hogwarts, there'd be no school to haunt and no people to taunt.

"Alright," he mumbled. "Just this once." And he flew off in the direction where they had come from.

"Come on," Ron tugged at Hermione's hand and they raced down the stairs onto the second floor. As they got onto the landing, the stair case moved.

Suddenly, they heard an explosion from outside. They hurried over to the window, and could just make out a few Death Eaters flying about in the sky, ready to strike at any moment. Ron saw a flash of yellow and a curse flying over to the window. He immediatly gripped Hermione's hand as hard as he could and shoved her against the wall, his body sheilding her from the shattering glass.

Breathing heavily, he looked down at Hermione, who was pale and in shock. She was so close, inches away, and Ron could see a light spray of freckles on her nose. He couldn't remember being this close to her in awhile. Maybe ever. _A few inches, just a few inches and you'll have kissed her. Come on_!

Hermione was looking down under his arm, which was against the wall, shielding her further, trying to see if there was any more danger.

"Is it safe to go now?" Hermione asked worriedly, her voice shaking.

Ron stood back to give Hermione some room. "Yeah, I think so. As safe as it'll get, anyway."

Ron realised that he had let go of Hermione's hand whilst trying to shield her from the explosion. Now he couldn't go for her hand without looking like a fool in love (which he was, but he didn't really want Hermione to think that). Before he could do anything about it, Hermione had grabbed his hand and was now leading the way to the girls bathroom.

Ron quickly caught up to her so they were running side by side. They noticed a few students, who recognised them, calling out "Were those Harry Potter's friends?"

They finally turned the corner and entered the girls lavatory. Ron and Hermione paused, looking around the room. Before they could make their way over to the sink, they heard a wail.

"Who's there?" a voice called out. Ron supressed a groan; they really did not have time for Moaning Myrtle. From the second last cubicle facing them flew out Moaning Myrtle, looking as pale and wistful as ever. "Oh, it's you two. I hadn't seen you in awhile." she surveyed Ron and Hermione.

"Hi Myrtle," Hermione said politely.

"Where's that other one? That boy, the handsome one."

Ron felt a little twinge of jealousy. Again, Harry had beaten him in something. Ron looked over at Hermione. _At least he hasn't beaten me in the one thing that matters most - winning Hermione's heart._ He didn't care if he was so poor he didn't have a home. He didn't care if he was never elected prefect or head boy or Quidditch captain, or selected to play Quidditch at all. As long as Hermione returned his feelings, he would be the happiest man in the world. He remembered when he had looked into the Mirror of Erised in first year, and had seen himself standing as Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. He had also seen a flicker of bushy hair on the side of the reflection. That was the first sign ever that he liked Hermione Granger. He had just been too immature to notice it then. If he looked at it today, he would see Harry and his family alive and well, with Voldemort dead in the background, and himself standing in front of them with Hermione, snogging her senseless.

"He's not here at the moment, he's got some other business to attend to." Hermione replied. "Speaking of which, we really need to-"

"Go?" interupted Myrtle, finishing Hermione's sentence. "Huh. Everyone's always on the move, always got something to do. They dont have a single second to talk to poor, whimpering Moaning Myrtle."

"Well we don't exactly have forever like you," Ron said.

This was not the correct thing to say. Despite the fact that he had matured unbelievably in the past year, he still had his humour and remarks with him. He figured this was something that would stay with him forever. And really, he didn't want to lose it. He had discovered that his jokes and humour were something important, his trademark. But still, he had to admit the comment he had made was a little insensitive. Myrtle was now wailing.

Hermione intervened and saved the day. "Myrtle, we would be glad to come and visit you, unfortunately, Hogwarts is about to be attacked, and we need to get to the Chamber of Secrets as soon as possible. If we make it out alive," she paused to swallow, and it fully sank into Ron's mind that tonight was the night. It all came down to this. They just had to survive this. "We'll be sure to come and visit you. But our hope for survival rests on us getting into the Chamber."

Myrtle looked mollified. "Oh alright," she said, "But if you [i]don't[/i] make it out alive," she said, looking directly at Ron, but speaking to both of them, "You're welcome to stay here with me."

Ron felt Hermione stiffen. "Okay, thanks for that, come on Ron lets go." She gripped his hand tighter and lead him over to the sink. "Harry said the entrance is here."

Ron had suddenly realised a huge problem. "Yeah..." he felt very embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, sensing his discomfort.

"Well, in second year..." Ron began, his ears turning red, "Harry used Parseltongue to open the Chamber."

Hermione didn't seem concerned by this. "So?" she asked. "How does tha-" her eyes once again widened as she realised what he was saying. "_Oh_. Should we just wait until Harry gets back?"

_Harry_. What Hermione said pierced him. _Second best, always eternally overshadowed_. The words from the Horcrux flowed through his head. He'd always be second best, compared to Harry.

"No," Ron said, gaining strength from his anger. "There's no time." he let go of Hermione's hand, and put both hands on either side of the sink. He let out a hissing noise.

"What was that?" Hermione cried, sounding worried, as though she was scared he was possessed.

Ron looked at her, right into her brown eyes to reassure her he was fine. _Merlin, those eyes... why does she do this to me?_ "I'm trying to remember what Harry said to get it to open. Maybe I could open the chamber then."

Hermione gave him a relieved smile at the fact he was not possessed, but at the same time looked apprehensive. "Ron," she said cautiously. "I'm not sure if you can do that. You need to be able to _speak_ Parseltongue, not mimic it." Ron looked down, a little crestfallen. Hermione didn't have any confidence in him. "But what else have we got to go on? Maybe you _can_ mimic it, try!" Hermione continued. Ron looked back at her, hope in his eyes, returning the encouraging smile on her face.

Ron made another hissing noise. Nothing happened. He attempted again. Still nothing.

He tried to recall how Harry had sounded when he opened the locket. How Harry had described speaking Parseltongue. 'I just imagined the snake was real,' Harry had told him. Ron looked down at the snake on the tap and imagined it was moving, coiling around the tap, slithering around hypnotisingly. He let out another hiss. Still nothing.

"Maybe you're right." Ron said, defeated. Looks like they'd have to wait for Harry Potter the Hero to show up once more to show off his amazing hero skills. Once more, Ron would feel like a pathetic idiot. "I can't do it."

"Yes you can!" Hermione said, grabbing onto the upper part of his arm. "You can do this! At first I was a little apprehensive about this, but I honestly think you can do it now! The last time I felt something different. I think you can do this! You really can Ron!" she finished her encouraging speech, breathless.

It was the sound of his name spoken by her that made him regain his confidence. She truly believed in him. She was certain he could do it. He would not disappoint her. She would be right once more. He hissed again, and felt the walls shake.

The Chamber of Secrets was opening.

Hermione gasped, and pulled Ron back from the sink. She gripped onto his arm tightly, and Ron felt strong, determined to protect her from anything that would come.

After the walls had stopped shaking and the entrance was visible, Hermione let go of his arm slowly, as if afraid he might disappear if she let go quickly. _I'm not leaving this time Hermione. Never again_.

Hermione carefully took a step forward and peered over the edge.

"It looks... deep."

"It's nothing to worry about Hermione," Ron said reassuringly. "It's fine." He took a deep breath and walked over to her. "Do you want me to go first?"

Hermione nodded, and stepped aside so he could jump in with room. Ron smiled at her and tried to convey the message with his eyes - _It'll be fine_. It seemed to have worked, for Hermione smiled back and nodded. Ron gave her a final fleeting look and jumped in.

It was dark and a little slimy as he plummeted down the pipe. He landed on a patch of dirt, right on his back. He could hear Hermione's screaming getting louder and louder. Suddenly, a mass of bushy hair fell on his face, obscuring his vision.

"Oof," he heard. It sounded quite muffled. "I'm sorry," Hermione said, lifting her head up a little. Ron found himself looking directly at Hermione, who was lying on top of him. He blushed full on red, but smiled at Hermione.

"I guess I'm better to land on than dirt, huh?" Ron said, trying to lighten the mood.

Hermione was also red too. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "You should have moved, if you didn't want me to land on you."

Before Ron could get up the courage to say he didn't mind if she landed on him, she had already stood up and was dusting herself off.

"Come on," Hermione said, her voice echoing in the dark chamber. "Let's hurry." She pulled out her wand and muttered "_Lumos_." Ron followed suit and they walked through the chamber, gripping each others hands tightly. They walked through the chamber, stopping once in awhile when Ron thought he saw a spider, and then came to a pile of rubble.

"This was where I stayed with Lockhart. Harry was on the other side, further on. And this was where Lockhart's memory charm backfired."

"Poor thing," Hermione muttered. Ron couldn't help but laugh.

"'Poor thing?' Don't tell me you still have a crush on him?" he shrieked. He had long gotten over his jealousy of Lockhart, for Lockhart didn't see Hermione every day, did he? Also, Hermione would not base a relationship solely on looks, and without looks, Lockhart was nothing.

Hermione blushed furiously. "_No_. And it's none of your business who I do or don't have crushes on."

_What in the name of Merlin does that mean?_ Ron thought to himself.

Before he could voice his confusion aloud, Hermione had tugged him furthur through the chamber, and they were now nearing the place where Harry fought the basilisk; or at least, where Harry said he had. Maybe Ron had gotten confused and mixed up the places.

They walked into the hall and saw a huge statue of Salazar Slytherin. But what was more disturbing, was the huge, motionless snake that lay below it.

They stopped walking, and stared at it in silence. The silence was deafening. Ron wanted to speak, but he couldn't. He was too shocked. Harry had fought this and made it out alive? It was incredible.

Finally, Hermione spoke. "That's... that's the Basilisk."

Ron swallowed and nodded. "Yeah."

Hermione seemed to awake from her daze and she walked forward, closer to the snake. Standing several metres away, she spoke clearly, "_Diffindo_," and the fangs fell out of the Basilisks mouth. Hermione summoned them over, not wanting to get any closer to the serpent, and then looked over at Ron. He quickly shook his head, getting out of his daze. He had been focusing on Hermione and how magnificent she was.

"We need to get rid of the cup now." Hermione said determinedly. Ron merely nodded. "We might not have time later. Now could be our only chance." Ron nodded once more. Hermione bent down and began taking something out of her sock. Out came the beaded bag, and Hermione gently put it on the floor and started rifling through it. A few moments later, she pulled out the golden cup.

Ron walked over to retrieve a fang to use, but Hermione gave him all of them. He chuckled.

"I'll only need one, Hermione." he told her.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "We'll need those to kill the snake and the diadem, and a few others spare."

"I wont be able to kill the cup now with these in the way." Ron told her.

Hermione looked slightly embarrassed. "Actually, I was thinking I would... you know, destroy the cup."

Ron wasn't completely surprised, he had to admit. He had a feeling that Hermione, being the strong willed, determined to prove herself person she was, would want to destroy a part of Voldemort's soul. But he had been hoping that she wouldn't have to go through what he had to when he destroyed the locket. It was torture, and Hermione didn't need more torture. "Are... are you sure you want to?" he asked, hoping she'd say no. He knew that what would be said would embarrass him in front of Hermione, but he'd rather be embarrassed then have Hermione go through the trauma.

Hermione nodded determinedly. _Curse her strong willed personality that I love_, Ron screamed in his head. "I need to do this Ron. As revenge for... everything really." she hesitated for a moment, then went on. "I want to feel the satisfaction of knowing that I helped destroy a bit of an evil wizard's soul."

He remembered what Harry had told him, the night he had returned. He had said 'I know it's got to be you, Ron.' Now he understood how Harry had felt. Ron now understood that this was Hermione's job. Hermione, and Hermione alone, would have to do this. Not only would it be fair, them al having destroyed one Horcrux, but it would also mean Hermione had a piece of the action, and had known what it was like to destroy a Horcrux, to thrust your emotion and thoughts onto destroying a dark object.

"Okay. It's you. It's got to be you." he spoke.

Ron took the fangs from her, leaving her with only one in her hand. "I'm just gonna, you know..." Ron tried to signal what he was doing with his hands. Hermione raised her eyebrows in confusion. "It's... what it does... you might not want me to see what it does." Hermione looked more afraid, yet more determined than ever.

"Is it going to hurt?" Hermione blurted out. Ron looked away from her. "Is it going to attack me?"

He had to be honest with her. "Yeah. But... but not physically. Mentally. So, you probably won't want me to see it. Just... just know that, I'm right here if you need anything, and that... that, whatever it says... it's not true, alright?"

Hermione nodded slowly, and she appeared very afraid. Ron began to walk away, but before he did, he gently put his hand on her shoulder, leaned right next to her ear, and whispered "You can do this Hermione."

He stood near the entrance of the chamber, watching Hermione's face bend down over the cup. She was facing him, so he had a good view of her. He watched her raise the fang over her head, and slowly bend forward. Halfway down, she dropped the fang. _No, no_, Ron thought. He didn't know what she saw, but it was evident there was something disturbing in the cup.

Then, a booming voice, that sounded all too familiar to Ron, was heard from the cup. "_I have seen your heart, and it is mine._" Hermione began shaking. "_I have seen your dreams, Hermione Jean Granger, and I have seen your fears. Not enough, always, to the parents who wanted the perfect child. Not enough, ever, for the boy who loves another. Undeserving, never good enough for anything, ever_."

Ron was stunned. This was Hermione's fear - never being good enough. That was why she would always try so hard in school - to make her parents proud of her. She hid behind books to hide her insecurities. Ron always knew that Hermione felt insecure about herself, but he never knew how much. He looked over at Hermione, and saw she was whimpering. Suddenly, she gasped, and leaned forward slightly.

"Mum, dad!" Apparently, Hermione could see them in the cup.

"_You just had to be a witch, didn't you? Just had to run off to a school for freaks! You've brought shame upon us! How could we ever be proud of you, a witch in the family! You never cared for us, always prefering to be with your precious friends, who don't really care about you either!_" Ron couldn't see who was saying it, but could hear every word clearly. It was painful even for him, he couldn't begin to imagine what it was like for Hermione.

"Hermione!" Ron called out. "It's not true! It's not true! Stab the cup!" Hermione now had tears falling down her face. She leaned back in horror. Ron could tell that the picture in the cup had changed once more. The whispered "Harry, Ron," let out by Hermione made it clear who was there.

"_You're so pathetic_," Ron heard. "_We never wanted to be friends with you! There's a reason why we avoided you in first year. But then you had to run off like a crybaby into the girls toilets, we had to save you from the troll, it's the only humane thing to do - even though you're too abnormal to be human. You're a freak. We only let you tag along so we could get the answers in tests_!" Ron heard a sneer. "_Even then, you didn't help us. Never let us copy off you. You don't care for us at all! Just like we don't care for you_!"

"But I do!" Hermione called out pointlessly, sobbing hysterically. "I _do_ care for you!" Ron wanted to run over to help her, but a gust of wind was blowing now, surrounding Hermione, and Ron couldn't get through it to Hermione.

"Hermione! Stab it!"

The picture dissolved as Hermione gasped once more. She mumbled a "No..." and Ron figured she must be about to relive a horrible memory.

"_Hi_!" Ron heard from the cup. It sounded like a younger version of Hermione. He could hear the tone of bossiness in her voice. "_I was wondering if you might want to come over today. I'm free, and my parents said they'd-_-"

"_No_." The Horcrux made that word echo around the room, to make it more traumatic for Hermione. "_I don't hang out with annoying bushy haired know it alls. See ya." _Ron didn't know who said that, but he could tell it was some childhood memory.

The Horcrux spoke with Voldemort's voice once more. "_What parents would be proud of that? A girl who has no friends. A girl everyone hates and finds annoying. You actually thought you might make_ friends _at Hogwarts_?" Voldemort sneered. "_Remember this_?"

Ron felt his heart break as he heard the words he had uttered at the end of a first year Charms lesson. "_She's a nightmare, honestly. No wonder she doesn't have any friends_." Hermione's eyes were red now from tears. Her cheeks shone from the tears that had already fallen earlier.

"_He still thinks that_." Voldemort spoke. "_Why do you think he chose Lavender Brown instead of you_?" Hermione shook her head to hold back tears. "_No man will ever take you. An ugly, pathetic, useless, obnoxious, imperfect know it all who wants everything around her to be perfect, when she hypocritcally isn't!"_

"HERMIONE!" Ron called out, getting hysterical too. This Horcrux was only saying lies, how could Hermione think that about herself? "Don't listen to him! You're not a nightmare! You're amazing!" Ron was panicking. "Hermione, stab it! It's not real! It's all lies! Stab it! It'll all be over if you _stab it_!" Ron remembered how Hermione had encouraged him and gave him confidence. "You can do this! You're stronger than this! I know you can do this Hermione!"

Ron had finally gotten Hermione's attention. She briefly looked over at him, and at that moment he had seen a flash of hope in her eyes. She looked back at the cup, which was of Ron, taunting her. Raising the fang once more, she swiftly swung it down at the cup. The cup let out a scream and black liquid oozed out of it. A blinding bright light shone out from the cup, and then, all was gone.

It was now dark and silent, excluding the sound of Hermione's sobs and Ron's ragged breathing. He got up from his position on the floor, and walked over to her cautiously. He picked up the now destroyed Horcrux and put it in the beaded bag which sat beside Hermione. Hermione was crouched on the floor, her head in her hands, resting on her knees, which were brought up to her chest. Ron sat down carefully beside her and put an arm over her shoulder.

"You did brilliantly." he said truthfully. "I'm so proud of you." Hermione looked up at Ron and saw sincerity in his eyes. She lunged forward and put her arms around his neck, and her head into the crook of his neck. She stayed there for awhile, sobbing into his shoulder. Ron had wrapped both his arms around her and was saying soothing words of comfort. Hermione finally looked up at him from his shoulder.

"I should have gotten rid of it sooner." she said, her voice croaky.

Ron swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's hard to, Hermione. You-Know-Who... he's really perceptive. He knows what you fear, he knows what you hope. He turns all the good things against you, and you don't know if there's any good left in the world. You have to fight back. It's really tough. He... he talks you into believing what he's saying. It's horrible. But you fought back Hermione. I knew you could. I'm so proud of you." Ron pulled her a little closer. "Everything the Horcrux said... it wasn't true. Your parents are so proud of you. I know that for sure. I can see it when I see them at the start and end of school year. They're so proud of you. To them, you're the greatest daughter in the world. They love you Hermione. We all do." Ron desperatly wanted to say just how much _he_ loved her, but the words just couldn't come out.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you Ron." she strained herself up slightly, and kissed him on the cheek. Ron turned pink and felt the spot where she kissed him tingle. Hermione stood up and helped him up too. Ron got out his wand and muttered, "Accio Broomstick!"

The broom flew down to them in a few moments. Ron swiftly swung over his leg, then looked expectantly at Hermione, who was eyeing the broomstick.

"I... I don't know, Ron..." she stammered.

Ron offered his hand to her. "Don't worry."

"What if I fall?" Hermione asked.

Ron grinned. "You won't. I won't let you."

Hermione accepted his hand and sat behind Ron. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and Ron turned even pinker. "Hold on tight!"

They flew out of the Chamber, and hurried out of the lavatory in search of Harry.

"Where have you been?" Harry cried out once they found him.

"Chamber of Secrets," Ron answered plainly.

Harry was stumped. "Chamber of-what?"

Before Ron could answer, Hermione spoke, sounding out of breath. "It was Ron, it was all Ron's idea!" Ron couldn't help but smile. "Wasn't it brilliant?" Ron's smile grew wider.

"There we were, after you left, and I said to Ron, even if we do find the diadem, how are we going to destroy it? We still hadn't gotten rid of the cup. And then, Ron thought of it!"

"Basilisk fangs." Ron told Harry.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Something to destroy the cup with." Ron said plainly once more, and gestured to the fangs they were holding.

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, finally catching on.

Harry told them of the plan to find the diadem, and Ron began feeling excited. They were so close, they could end this. They hurried into the Room of Requirement. He reluctantly let

Ginny leave her sanctuary, and Mrs Longbottom went off to find Neville to assist him. Now, they were all alone in the Room of Requirement. Everyone was safe now. All the people who wanted to stay were staying, and the underage witches and wizards had evacuated. Then Ron had a thought.

"Hang on a moment!" Ron exclaimed. He couldnt believe none of them had thought of this until now. "We've forgotten someone!"

"Who?" asked Hermione, confused.

"The house elves!" Ron cried. "They're still down in the kitchens, aren't they?"

Harry didn't catch on. "You mean we ought to get them fighting?"

Ron figured this was unfair. They shouldn't fight unless they want to. "No, we ought to get them out!" he remembered one elf who had died in this war - he didn't want any more.

"We don't want anymore Dobby's, do we? We can't force them to die for us-"

Ron had only just managed to get as far as that when he heard a clatter and saw a flash of brown before he felt the most softest and sweetest prescence on his lips. The warmth that spread through his body made him feel light headed. Then the realisation finally dawned on him. _Hermione_ was _kissing_ him!

Ron chucked away the broomstick and the fangs and kissed her back so fiercely he was scared she'd fall over, so he wrapped his arms around her and lited her up. He felt the urge to be as close to her as possible, the only way she'd be safe was if she was in his arms. He'd never let anything hurt her then.

The feeling was unbelieveable. He had spent years trying to figure out exactly what kissing her would feel like, but reality was much better then anything he came up with. He didn't know it was possible for something to feel so amazing. He felt warm waves travel down his body consistently, like drinking butterbeer non stop - but this was infinite times better than Butterbeer.

He heard someone say "Is this the moment?" but Ron had forgotten how to think. He didn't know who said that and he didn't even care. He couldn't think, hear or see anything. He could only _feel_. He couldn't even remember where they were. He could only imagine they were in heaven. Somewhere far away, where there was no war, no death. Just him and Hermione.

He felt Hermione moan into his mouth, and he held her tighter, if that was possible. The feeling was intoxicating, he didn't want it to ever end. He just wanted to stay there, holding Hermione and kissing her, smelling the vanilla and cinnamon in her hair and-

"OI! There's a war going on!"

He felt Hermione pull away slightly. He opened his eyes, and felt as if that was the most hardest thing he ever had to do. It was like waking up from a sound sleep. He took a good look at Hermione. Her face was a few centimetres away from his, her eyes were yet to open. Her cheeks were pink, a lovely hue, and her hair was slightly tangled, and Ron could still remember the feeling of his hand in that hair. The corners of her lips were twitching and she bit her lip to hold back a smile. Her eyes fluttered open and upon seeing Ron in front of her the smile broke out. Ron realised he still had his arms around her, and her arms were still around his neck. He still felt as if he were in a daze, and he wondered how he was able to stand still.

"I know, mate," he finally answered Harry, not taking his eyes off Hermione. "So it's now or never isn't it?" Hermione went pinker, her eyes never leaving Ron's.

"Never mind that, what about the Horcrux?" Harry shouted at them, but Ron was too ecstatic to care. "Do you think you can just.. just hold it in until we've got the diadem?"

Ron and Hermione both blushed. "Yeah, right, sorry." Ron managed to say, and bent down to retrieve the fangs. Hermione joined him, and smiled cautiously at him. Ron grinned back. Then, the reality of what Harry said sunk in. There was a _war_ going on.

"Hermione," he said in a low voice. "I'm gonna do everything I can to get you through this, and you are not going to die." _I need to find out what it's like to kiss you _without _Harry interupting_. "And I'll do my best not to die."

"You _won't_ die." Hermione said firmly, then flashed him a reassuring smile. "I won't let you."

Ron grinned back at her.

**A/N What did you think? I can only improve if you review ;)**


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